Thanks JM !
I'm been looking forward to your replay. I think it's time to save some cash, so I can buy that "baby". I had a fantastic time on sunday with my 94 iSonic and Gun MegaX 6.9, absolutly the fastest on the beach that day........... maybe even faster with the W53.......... Who knows ?

Morten

8th June 2010 04:34 AM

Jean-Marc

Morten,

Sorry for my late reply. I was using my W53 in windy and choppy conditions lately and the general conclusion is that she better excels in flattish water with max 10-20 cm chop. As soon as the chop worsens (30-40cm), control gets more hairy and speed does not increase dramatically with stronger winds.

As soon as I reach a wind lull, speed decreased dramatically as compared with a full-on slalom high wind board during match races, and this is becoming more and more noticeable when chop worsens. Jibes and pointing upwind are better with a full-on slalom high wind board when chop worsens.

Can you use your 6.9 m2 sail? Yes.
Can it go upwind? Yes when fully lit, even with small fins. Not very well in marginal wind or under-powered up.
Can you use it in 0.5-1m waves/swell and small chop? Yes, yes, yes down the lines! Hairy when going upwind against the waves: kind of a rodeo ride. B&J is definitely not recommended with such a light weight baby...

Cheers !

JM

22nd May 2010 04:56 AM

morten.g

Hi Jean-Marc.
I was thinking 6m sail and down probably often 5,7 - 5, since I realy like the 94 iSonic with my 6m (and 6.9). Wind 10m/s (min) and more, often 90 degree wind. But I have never tried the W53, maybe I will like that even better with the 6m. Or can I use my 6.9 full camber ?
It's actually not super choppy, the waves are probably often 0.5 to 1m. I don't have any problem to control the 94. Can it go upwind ?

21st May 2010 04:35 AM

Jean-Marc

Morten,

How nasty is the chop and how large is the swell/fetch at your spot ? Obviously at your weight, the more windy, the more choppy it will get. What sails and wind range are you gonna use with the iSonic W53 speed ?

Cheers!

JM

15th May 2010 09:51 PM

agrelon

Quote:

Originally Posted by morten.g

Hi Mark
Thanks for sharing your experiance with the W53, I realy think it's the right board for me. (Have to save some money, and don't say anything to my wife. And hide it in the garage with all the other stuff) Nice pictures, I'm mostly sailing on the Oslofjord, so realy no big waves, a bit choppy, but almost never flat water.

Morten

The perks of being married...

15th May 2010 08:33 PM

morten.g

Hi Mark
Thanks for sharing your experiance with the W53, I realy think it's the right board for me. (Have to save some money, and don't say anything to my wife. And hide it in the garage with all the other stuff) Nice pictures, I'm mostly sailing on the Oslofjord, so realy no big waves, a bit choppy, but almost never flat water.

Morten

14th May 2010 10:24 PM

mark h

Hi Morten.
I've had my W53 for about 18-months and love it for its range, 5.8m to 7+. Its design brief is "pure speed" but, if your sailing harbour type chop, the W53 is good.

On a mid/high wind broad speed course (125 to 145 degrees), rolling chop starts to build up and increases further down the course. What starts as glass flat water soon becomes nasty speed course chop half way down.

All the SB speed specials deal with this chop no problems. They are very very difficult to tack, but all gybe OK (especially the W53).

BD was spotted at the Dungarven speed event in Ireland on the 2010 proto's, so I'm waiting to what comes out in August, but I'm going to get the bigger W58 for light wind speed. A couple of SB guys in Holland have told me that the W58 is even better than the W53 in chop. Might be worth looking at that?? Certainly going to be easier in "high wind slalom mode"

P.S. There's a couple of pictures of the W53 in my profile album

14th May 2010 04:50 PM

agrelon

Ok, well Christine starts by saying that this years 86 normal is the same as last years, and is here all time favorite board in the line. She says that the 86 slim looks really good thanks to the super thin profile.

Fins used:

Deboichet sl230/32 sl4 31/32
Tectonic goldwing 30/32/34

Sails used:

North Warp 5,7/6,3/7m

She says she used the same tuning on the slim as the normal one, to remove variables.

She says that the Slim is better suited to the 5.7m, and the normal works better with the 6.3m. This is on flat water in 15-25knts.

Winds up to 20-25, much harder chop, rough conditions with the Slim and 6.3 (on purpose to be overpowered) with the Goldwind 32, mast track forward an inch from center. She says that in these rough conditions, the 86 slim offers much more control over the regular 86.

In a later test she also says that the 86 slim is less tiring to use in rough conditions and it's added thinness makes it easier to jibe over the normal 86. She says the board really excels in "the red zone" ie. super windy, super rough conditions. Again, using a 32cm fin, 30 is too small, she adds. Despite the rough conditions, she had a great time with the board.

She also says that the 86 slim responds really well to power in the sail, making it easy to get going and that on flat conditions, with the mast track slightly back, it is possible to make the board go super fast.

She also used it down to a 5.2m, with a 31cm fin, for over 30knts, with all the same comments.

You'll have to wait for the team to jump in to compare the Speed specials with the regular iSonics, as I have tried neither, just reciting things I've previously heard.

Adrien

14th May 2010 01:54 PM

morten.g

Thanks, I will like a translation. But I think it's a to small differanse between the 94 and the slim 86 (The 2009 94 is and up "scaled" 86, and the slim is identical only thinner). The slim is 243 x 56.5 and the (2009) 94 is 243 x 59 . I understand that the speed boards are more difficult to jibe, but do you think they are unsuitable for choppy conditions ? (I love the my 94, and it's not difficult to controll).The 2009 94 it's a mutch more speed oriented than the 2010 94 witch is a down scaled 101.

Morten

14th May 2010 09:40 AM

agrelon

Hi Morten,

Christine said some really good things about the 86slim for super high wind/ really rough condition days in the French Forum. Maybe this might be more appropriate for you as from what I've gathered you're obviously not on speedcourse tight water, and the 86 slim was design to be a high wind/high control slalom board.

Maybe the team would advise differently. But I also asked about these boards a while back because I'm super light (55kgs) and could use most of them for even medium days. I think the conclusion was that because these boards were designed solely for speed, they lost out on jibing ability.

Let me know if you want a translation of what Christine said.

Adrien

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